profit, and expect your recompense in the end. For the principal thing that hath been the destruction of most plantations, hath been the base and hasty drawing of profit in the first years. It is true, speedy profit is not to be neglected, as far as may stand[1] with the good of the plantation, but no further. It is a shameful and unblessed thing to take the scum of people, and wicked condemned men, to be the people with whom you plant; and not only so, but it spoileth the plantation; for they will ever live like rogues, and not fall to work, but be lazy, and do mischief, and spend victuals, and be quickly weary, and then certify over to their country to the discredit of the plantation. The people wherewith you plant ought to be gardeners, ploughmen, labourers, smiths, carpenters, joiners, fishermen, fowlers, with some few apothecaries, surgeons, cooks, and bakers. In a country of plantation, first look about what kind of victual[2] the country yields of itself to hand; as chestnuts, walnuts, pineapples, olives, dates, plums, cherries, wild honey, and the like; and make use of them. Then consider what victual or esculent[3] things there are, which grow speedily, and within the year; as parsnips, carrots, turnips, onions, radish, artichokes of Hierusalem,[4]
- ↑ To stand with. To be consistent with; to agree.
- ↑ Victual. Provision of food; articles commonly used as food. Generally used in the plural as on this page elsewhere, and signifying (commonly) food for human beings, prepared for eating.
- ↑ Esculent. Good for food; eatable. Specifically, an 'esculent' is an edible vegetable, and especially one that may be used as a condiment or relish without cooking, like lettuce or radishes.
- ↑ Artichokes of Hierusalem. This vegetable is not an artichoke, and its name has nothing to do with Jerusalem. It is a plant with an edible root resembling the artichoke, which was introduced into Europe from South America about 1617. It is said to have been
